Mapping and Exercises

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Wildfire on the Saurüsselkopf in Bavaria
06. May 2026

Wildfire on the Saurüsselkopf in Bavaria

Due to a forest fire on the Saurüsselkopf mountain near Ruhpolding, which is difficult to access, the Traunstein District Office declared a state of emergency on 4 May 2026. The surrounding Laubau drinking water protection area in particular is actively threatened by the fire. Numerous emergency ser...

Automated Drone Image Analysis and Processing for THW Emergency Forces
16. April 2026

Automated Drone Image Analysis and Processing for THW Emergency Forces

On 16 April, a major practical test took place at the THW training site in Hoya. The procedures developed in ADRET were tested directly on site, from recording to image analysis, together with THW emergency personnel and employees of DLR and THW Research. The individual components of the process and...

ZKI supports NATO Emergency Exercise 'Bulgaria 2025'
07. September 2025

ZKI supports NATO Emergency Exercise 'Bulgaria 2025'

From September 7 to 12, one of the largest international exercises on civil protection and emergency management takes place in Montana, Bulgaria. The exercise, with over 1,200 participants from more than 40 countries, is coordinated by the EADRCC, NATO's most important instrument for rapid and effec...

ZKI supports KIResQ drone exercise
25. April 2025

ZKI supports KIResQ drone exercise

The DLR-ZKI is involved as an associated partner in the KIResQ (AI-based evaluation of thermal images for faster location of missing persons) research project and was involved in the final exercise of the project on 25th April. During the extensive exercise in Schwangau, Bavaria, more than 100 resc...

ZKI supports Saxony's state fire department and disaster control school during flood exercise in Freiberg
28. October 2024

ZKI supports Saxony's state fire department and disaster control school during flood exercise in Freiberg

From October 28 to 30, 2024, the State Fire Brigade and Disaster Protection School of Saxony will conduct a large-scale exercise aimed at testing and solidifying the cooperation of special command centers (between the administrative staff and technical operations management) of the lower fire protec...

Flooding in East and Central Europe
16. September 2024

Flooding in East and Central Europe

A so-called Vb weather condition with extensive amounts of rain has been causing high water and flooding in parts of Europe since 12 September 2024. Austria, the Czech Republic and southern Poland are the countries most affected by the rainfall. Mapping and DataThe ZKI supports the work of authoriti...

Exercise: ZKI maps used in various exercise scenarios at the Saxony State Fire Brigade and Disaster Control School
28. August 2024

Exercise: ZKI maps used in various exercise scenarios at the Saxony State Fire Brigade and Disaster Control School

The Saxony State Fire Service and Disaster Control School is conducting a disaster control exercise between 27.08.2024 and 29.08.2024, in which the basic idea is that an administrative staff of a district, or as now a district-free city, jointly trains with its operational command. In particular, th...

Exercise: Final demonstration of the AHEAD/MaiSHU project in Nordheim am Main
25. June 2024

Exercise: Final demonstration of the AHEAD/MaiSHU project in Nordheim am Main

On 25 June, the final demonstration of the MaiSHU project (Multimodal perception and human-machine interfaces of semi-autonomous intelligent systems for humanitarian aid in unsafe and unstructured environments), a follow-up project to AHEAD, took place at the German Federal Armed Forces training are...

Flooding in Southern Germany
03. June 2024

Flooding in Southern Germany

Since 30th May 2024, prolonged and heavy rainfall has caused water levels to rise sharply in southern Germany, especially in the border region of Baden-Württemberg and later in Bavaria. The resulting floods were spread over a large area, especially in Swabia and in the Danube region, so that numerou...

Exercise: ZKI supports BRK Water Rescue during flooding exercise in Munich
04. May 2024

Exercise: ZKI supports BRK Water Rescue during flooding exercise in Munich

From 4 - 5 May 2024, the Munich Water Rescue and the Munich Mountain Rescue of the Bavarian Red Cross organised a large-scale flood exercise in the Langwieder Seenkette and Riemer See areas. A total of around 100 volunteer members from the Feldmoching, Lohhof, München Mitte, Riem, Unterföhring and U...

Wildfires in Chile
09. February 2024

Wildfires in Chile

After days of intense summer heat, devastating fires broke out in the Valparaíso region of central Chile. The wildland fires destroyed thousands of homes and claimed several casualties and injuries.The Center for Satellite-based Crisis information (ZKI) of DLR created maps for this disaster, based o...

Forest Fires Around the Mediterranean Sea: ZKI Supports with Information on the Development of Fire Areas
01. August 2023

Forest Fires Around the Mediterranean Sea: ZKI Supports with Information on the Development of Fire Areas

The wildfires in the Mediterranean region were exceptionally intense in July 2023, causing devastating damages. According to the European Copernicus Program EFFIS, the burned area is nearly nearly twice as large as the long-term average. A web service provided by the EOC (Earth Observation Center) s...

Flood in Somalia
31. May 2023

Flood in Somalia

After heavy rainfalls between March and May 2023, Somalia was hit by widespread floods. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 460,000 people have been affected within the last two months by this disaster.The Center for Satellite-based C...

Exercise: ZKI presents new methods for situational awareness during large live exercise in Salzburg
29. April 2023

Exercise: ZKI presents new methods for situational awareness during large live exercise in Salzburg

In the context of a large international civil protection exercise at the 29. April 2023 in which over 800 rescue forces from the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK), the Austrian Red Cross (ÖRK) and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) participated, the final demonstration of the AIFER project took pl...

Floods in Mozambique: ZKI supports with information on flood duration
23. February 2023

Floods in Mozambique: ZKI supports with information on flood duration

Since October 2022, the cyclonic season impacted thousands of people across Mozambique. After storms and heavy rain, coastal areas of southern Mozambique were hit by severe floods, especially the province Maputo. Roads have been cut and houses damaged. Cyclone Freddy could exacerbate this situation...

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
07. February 2023

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria

On February 6, 2023, an earthquake with a magnitude 7.8 occurred in the Gaziantep region of southeastern Turkey, followed by numerous aftershocks up to magnitude 7.5. Many regions and cities have been affected, especially in the Turkish-Syrian border area. The total number of casualties is still unk...

Exercise: ZKI operation during drone exercise with emergency workers in the Ahr Valley
28. October 2022

Exercise: ZKI operation during drone exercise with emergency workers in the Ahr Valley

On October 28 and 29, 2022, a drone exercise took place for the second time in the Ahr Valley under the joint management of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK), Department Rettungsdienst – Sicherheitsforschung and the DLR/ZKI.Four different drones from four different research projects were operating in the...

Floods in Chad: ZKI supports with information on flood development
24. October 2022

Floods in Chad: ZKI supports with information on flood development

Persisting heavy rainfalls since August led to severe flooding in southern and central Chad. In addition to the exceptionally high rainfall, the country has been partially affected by storms and flash floods. According to the United Nations, this affected more than 1 million people and destroyed nea...

Floods in Pakistan: ZKI supports with information on flood duration
08. September 2022

Floods in Pakistan: ZKI supports with information on flood duration

After heavy monsoon rains since mid-June, Pakistan was hit by severe floods. This historic event caused large parts of the country to be submerged, leaving houses, infrastructure and cropland washed away. The affected population is currently lacking access to medical treatment and healthcare, hundre...

Storms and heavy rain cause floods in Western Germany
15. July 2021

Storms and heavy rain cause floods in Western Germany

In western Germany, prolonged heavy rain caused numerous floods. People lost their lives, numerous buildings and infrastructures were destroyed. Places in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate are particularly affected. ZKI is supporting the emergency and rescue teams with a range of activ...

Tornado in South Moravia, Czech Republic
24. June 2021

Tornado in South Moravia, Czech Republic

An unusually strong tornado by European Standards, reaching category F3/F4, passed through the South Moravian region of the Czech Republic on June 24, 2021. The tornado claimed several casualties and more than 200 injuries. Seven villages located between Břeclav and Hodonín were devastated by the de...

DLR supports detection of Cyclone Eloise’s impacts on Eswatini
29. January 2021

DLR supports detection of Cyclone Eloise’s impacts on Eswatini

Several Southern African countries were hit by Cyclone Eloise, which made landfall near Beira, Mozambique on 23rd of January 2021. Although it mostly dissipated on its path over Southern Africa, several thousands of people are affected by its impacts. Amongst the most affected countries, Eswatini ha...

Artificial Intelligence supports the mapping of damages in Moria
08. September 2020

Artificial Intelligence supports the mapping of damages in Moria

Europe’s largest refugee camp which has originally been designed to give shelter to less than 3,000 people kept on growing to around 12,000 refugees in September 2020. As a result, unofficial campgrounds grew around Moria with people living in flammable tarpaulin tents and provisional huts. The situ...

Explosion in Beirut, Lebanon
07. August 2020

Explosion in Beirut, Lebanon

On August 4, 2020, a heavy explosion in Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, killed over a hundred people and left many hundred thousand homeless. The explosion took place in the harbour area at 18:08 local time. It was probably caused by a large quantity of ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse in...

ZKI-Support for India and 6 other disaster regions
17. July 2020

ZKI-Support for India and 6 other disaster regions

Within the framework of the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters', DLR-ZKI has been activated seven times in the past two weeks, six of the activations being due to heavy rainfall with subsequent flooding and landslides in Asia (Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Japan, and Myanmar). D...

Cyclon Amphan - DLR supports with satellite images
29. May 2020

Cyclon Amphan - DLR supports with satellite images

On May 20, 2020, tropical cyclone Amphan made landfall on the northeast coast of India and the south coast of Bangladesh. According to the Indian Meteorological Service, it is one of the worst storms in the region in the last 20 years. More than three million people were taken to emergency shelters...

Innovative analyses as possible triggers for a satellite-based recording - Experimental map products based on heterogeneous data streams like Twitter and media analysis tools
03. April 2020

Innovative analyses as possible triggers for a satellite-based recording - Experimental map products based on heterogeneous data streams like Twitter and media analysis tools

In order to ensure a continuous improvement of satellite-based crisis information, ZKI is involved, i. a. together with the DLR project UKIS, in the research of new applied methods and the development of relevant products for the users in disaster management, humanitarian aid and civil security...

DRIVER+ Trial
17. September 2019

DRIVER+ Trial "Austria" and IRONORE2019 on 12th to 14th September 2019, Eisenerz/Austria

To strengthen crisis management, the EU-project DRIVER+ (Driving Innovation in Crisis Management for European Resilience) conducted the fourth Trial, this time in the Eisenerz region (Styria, Austria) from 12 to 14 September 2019. Innovative solutions have been assessed by experts based on an earthq...

Vegetation fires in Germany - ZKI supports with current situation maps based on satellite and aerial data
02. July 2019

Vegetation fires in Germany - ZKI supports with current situation maps based on satellite and aerial data

In large parts of Germany there has been a high risk of forest fires for weeks, sometimes level 5 of 5. North-eastern Germany is particularly affected. Since 30.06.2019, outstanding vegetation fires have been fought there with cross-border support. Near Lübtheen (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), an a...

Tropical Cyclone Idai hits Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi
25. March 2019

Tropical Cyclone Idai hits Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi

The Tropical Cyclone Idai is regarded as one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Africa and the Southern Hemisphere as a whole. The storm caused catastrophic damage in multiple nations, leaving so far more than 600 people dead and hundreds more missing. Idai brought strong winds and c...

Dam Collapse in Brazil
29. January 2019

Dam Collapse in Brazil

A dam burst at an iron mine in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais near the village Brumadinho released a wave of red iron waste. Satellite data has already been made available as part of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters". DLR supports the crisis management activities with RapidE...

Extreme Snow conditions in Bavaria - ZKI-DE supports with remote sensing products
16. January 2019

Extreme Snow conditions in Bavaria - ZKI-DE supports with remote sensing products

Since January 5, 2019 the whole Alpine foothills are affected by heavy snow falls. Therefore, in five Bavarian districts a state of emergency was declared. The heavy snow falls led to high snow loads, snow drifts and increased occurrence of avalanches. The massive snow had a huge impact on traf...

Fire disaster in California – DLR supports with FireBIRD data
15. November 2018

Fire disaster in California – DLR supports with FireBIRD data

A, for the season, unusual drought lead to devastating forest fires in California. So far several hundred thousand people were evacuated and dozen deaths were registered. Butte County, located in Northern California, is especially affected. Satellite data has already been made available as part of...

Hurricane Florence – DLR provides satellite information
17. September 2018

Hurricane Florence – DLR provides satellite information

On September 14th, 2018, hurricane Florence made landfall on the coast of North Carolina, USA. In the frame of the International Charter Space and Major Disasters, DLR supports the crisis management activities...

FireBIRD monitors forest fires in California
19. December 2017

FireBIRD monitors forest fires in California

In December 2017, wild fires have been burning in parts of California. On December 12, 2017, DLR’s TET-1 satellite captured major hot spots in the region. TET-1 is one of the two satellites of the FireBIRD mission. With its spatial resolution of 320 m the system has a much higher spatial resolution...

Hurricane Harvey - DLR supports Texas with satellite data
29. August 2017

Hurricane Harvey - DLR supports Texas with satellite data

On August 26th, 2017, hurricane Harvey made landfall on the coast of Texas. Massive amounts of rain have caused extensive flooding in parts of southeastern Texas, including Fort Bend, Brazoria and Galeston Counties, as well as Harris County and wide areas of Houston. Five people have reportedly died...

DLR supports the Protestant Kirchentag
30. May 2017

DLR supports the Protestant Kirchentag

About 100.000 people finally joined the 36th German Protestant Kirchentag in Wittenberg on 28th May 2017. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) supported the traffic and security management of the festive major event in two different ways: (1) the team of the DLR project “VABENE acquired aerial imagery...

Fire disaster in Chile – ZKI uses FireBIRD to deliver situational information
24. January 2017

Fire disaster in Chile – ZKI uses FireBIRD to deliver situational information

On January 24, 2017, the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' was activated for forest fires in Chile. The DLR/ZKI is responsible for the Project Management of this Charter Call and supports the ‘Chilean National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry’ (ONEMI) of Chile with the pr...

DLR FireBIRD mission provides data of recent fires in Israel and the West Bank
01. December 2016

DLR FireBIRD mission provides data of recent fires in Israel and the West Bank

On Tuesday, November 22, 2016, wildfires started in Israel and spread rapidly over the country on the following days. On November 25 at 11:25 UTC, DLR’s TET-1 satellite captured major hot spots in the region. TET-1 is one of the two satellites of the FireBIRD mission...

Hurricane Matthew in the Dominican Republic
08. October 2016

Hurricane Matthew in the Dominican Republic

On October 05, 2016, the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' was activated for floods and landslides in the Dominican Republic caused by Hurricane Matthew. The DLR/ZKI is responsible for the Project Management of this Charter Call and supports the National Emergency Commission of the D...

DLR FireBIRD mission provides data of recent fires in Portugal
19. August 2016

DLR FireBIRD mission provides data of recent fires in Portugal

On the night from August 7 to August 8 an emergency has been declared in the Porto region of Portugal, where wildfires spread. Over several days fires burned before it was possible to get them under control. From August 11 to August 14 it was possible to monitor the fires in Portugal using DLR’s TE...

Forest fire exercise in Catalonia (Pilot demonstration PHAROS-System)
01. March 2016

Forest fire exercise in Catalonia (Pilot demonstration PHAROS-System)

From the 2nd to 4th of March 2016 forest fire exercises by Catalonian firefighters and wildfire experts take place near the city of Solsona, Catalonia. These exercises are utilized as pilot demonstration for the PHAROS system in close cooperation with regional decision makers, and further supported...

Earthquake in Nepal on April 25, 2015
26. April 2015

Earthquake in Nepal on April 25, 2015

On April 25, 2015 a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit the Himalayan region. The epicentre was located between the Nepalese capital Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara. The event and several aftershocks caused wide ranging destruction. Authorities estimate that more than 2000 people were killed and many mor...

Exercise of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK), 25 April 2015, Kitzingen/Bavaria
25. April 2015

Exercise of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK), 25 April 2015, Kitzingen/Bavaria

On 24 and 25 April 2015, an exercise of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) of the local league Kitzingen, in cooperation witth civil security research unit of the German Red Cross (DRK), general secretary Berlin, has taken place on the former USAF airfield Kitzingen. During this exercise called “ConneKT...

Eruption of Calbuco Volcano in Chile
24. April 2015

Eruption of Calbuco Volcano in Chile

The Calbuco volcano in southern Chile erupted on Wednesday, 22 April 2015 for the first time in over 42 years sending a plume of ash into the sky. The eruption triggered a Red Alert in the Los Lagos Region of Chile. Thousands of people within a 20 km radius of the volcano have been evacuated. The In...

Eruption of Villarrica Volcano in Chile
05. March 2015

Eruption of Villarrica Volcano in Chile

Villarrica is one of Chile's most active volcanoes, and had been showing signs of activity since the start of February, leading to close observation of the volcano in the event that a eruption occurred. It finally erupted on 3 March 2015, sending ash and lava up into the sky in a display which was r...

Flood in Malawi
13. January 2015

Flood in Malawi

Wide spread rainfall associated with high rainfall amounts in the catchment areas of Shire and Zambesi rivers triggered flash floods and flooding in several areas in Southern Malawi and Mozambique. The International Charter Space and Major Disasters has been activated for this flood event. Here, the...

Exercise of the Medical Task Force of Germany, 24 - 26. October 2014, Lehnin/Brandenburg
28. October 2014

Exercise of the Medical Task Force of Germany, 24 - 26. October 2014, Lehnin/Brandenburg

Between 24 and 26 October 2014, an exercise of the Medical Task Force of Germany (MTF) has taken place on the military training ground Lehnin, Landkreis Brandenburg-Mittelmark (Germany). During this exercise called Flinker Oktopus the immediate treatment of injuries as a consequence of an explosion...

German Unity Day 2014
20. October 2014

German Unity Day 2014

For the preparation of the official festivities for the German Unity Day in Hannover on October 2nd and 3rd, 2014, the Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) provided reference information to the planning committee. A satellite image of August 28th, 2014 with a spatial solution of 0,5m...

Fires in the Dominican Republic
31. July 2014

Fires in the Dominican Republic

In July 20, 2014, several forest fires occurred in the Valle Nuevo National Park, La Vega Province, Dominican Republic. Approximately 4,700 hectares of pine and other ancient timber forest have been devastated. Around 700 firefighters were in action to get the fire under control...

Balkan floods: National Service ZKI-DE activated
26. May 2014

Balkan floods: National Service ZKI-DE activated

The Balkans are enduring the worst floods since records began 120 years ago. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than one million people have been affected by the flood disaster. The floods may have dislodged thousands of landmines and contaminated drinking water resources. Several dam breaches have bee...

Typhoon in Philippines
11. November 2013

Typhoon in Philippines

The typhoon Haiyan is one of the most powerful storms ever recognized, and has caused devastating demolition in the Philippines. Officials estimate more than 10,000 people have died. Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced. The Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) tasked the Center for Sa...

Campaign for the airborne and satellite-based observation during Landesfeuerwehrtag Baden-Württemberg 2013
20. June 2013

Campaign for the airborne and satellite-based observation during Landesfeuerwehrtag Baden-Württemberg 2013

As the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in collaboration with the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) demonstrated in Stuttgart, Germany, remote sensing can significantly contribute to situation awareness in the context of civil defense. In the occasion of the Landesfeuerwe...

Floods in Germany: National Service ZKI-DE activated
03. June 2013

Floods in Germany: National Service ZKI-DE activated

The German Joint Information and Situation Centre (GMLZ) tasked the Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI) with the creation of satellite and aerial image-based situation information covering the regions most affected by the current floods in Thuringia, Saxony, Bavaria and Baden-Wuertte...

VABENE system test during evaluation event of Helmholtz Association, 22 - 24 April 2013, Cologne
12. April 2013

VABENE system test during evaluation event of Helmholtz Association, 22 - 24 April 2013, Cologne

During an evaluation event of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres in Cologne Porz, between 22 and 24 April 2013, the German Aerospace Center is conducting a flight campaign within the VABENE project. Here, high resolution aerial imagery are acquired in real-time mode using the 3K+ a...

Refugee / IDP Camp Mapping in Jordan
08. January 2013

Refugee / IDP Camp Mapping in Jordan

Ongoing violence in Syria has led thousands of people to leave their country and to flee to neighbouring Jordan. More than 40,000 people have found accomodation in Al Zaatari refugee camp and even more people are expected to arrive. In addition to this tense situation heavy rainfalls have caused sev...

UEFA Champions League final, 19 May 2012, Munich, Germany
21. May 2012

UEFA Champions League final, 19 May 2012, Munich, Germany

During the UEFA Champions League final on 19 May 2012 in Munich, Germany, the German Aerospace Centre conducted an exercise in cooperation with BBK Germany. During this exercise very high resolution imagery were acquired simultaneously applying three different sensor plattforms: Satellite (TerraSAR-...

Tropical storm in Mozambique
02. March 2012

Tropical storm in Mozambique

On March 2, 2012, Tropical storm IRINA struck Madagascar at about 00:00 GMT and is forecasted to strike Mozambique as a tropical cyclone at about 20:00 GMT on March 3. IRINA was expected to bring 1-minute maximum sustained winds to the region of around 130 km/h (80 mph). The cyclone was expected to...

Flood in Bulgaria
10. February 2012

Flood in Bulgaria

Due to heavy snow that has covered Bulgaria in the beginning of February 2012, several dams were overflowing. On Monday, 6 February, the Ivanovo dam wall broke due to severe weather conditions. The released water inundated the villages of Biser and Leshnikovo in south eastern Bulgaria. Several other...

Flood in Mozambique
24. January 2012

Flood in Mozambique

On January 16, 2012, Mozambique’s coast was hit by the tropical depression Dando followed by cyclone Funso. With wind speeds up to 220 km/h and torrential rains the storms have caused severe damages and floods. About 13,000 people as well as communication and infrastructure along the coast have been...

Fires in Chile
03. January 2012

Fires in Chile

Since December 27, 2011, a massive forest fire raged through the Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile and has destroyed an area of about 125 sq km. Hundreds of military personnel and fire fighters were deployed at the scene to fight the blaze and managed to bring the fire under control...

Forest fires in Bulgaria
23. November 2011

Forest fires in Bulgaria

On November 21, 2011, forest fires were reported near the village of Treklyano, Kjustendil province (western Bulgaria) in a mountanious area close to the Serbian border. On November 22, 2011 the GMES SAFER mechanism was activated through the National Focal Point of Bulgaria. High resolution, new and...

Forest fires in Romania
08. November 2011

Forest fires in Romania

On November 06, 2011, heath and forest fires were reported in the mountain region near Sibiu in Romania. The map shows the burnt area extent derived by semi- automatic image analysis of SPOT-5 data (2.5 m resolution) acquired on November 08, 2011. As derived from the analysis of the satellite data a...

Earthquake in Turkey on October 23, 2011
23. October 2011

Earthquake in Turkey on October 23, 2011

On Sunday October 23, 2011 an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 at 5 km depth hit the province of Van in eastern Turkey, followed by a series of powerful aftershocks of magnitudes up to 5.6. The epicentre was located at the village of Tabanli 19 km Northeast of the city of Van between the Van Lake...

Parking occupancy at the NRW-Day and German Unity Day, Bonn 2011, Germany.
27. September 2011

Parking occupancy at the NRW-Day and German Unity Day, Bonn 2011, Germany.

On October, 2-3, 2011, a flight campaign was conducted within the VABENE project of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in close cooperation with the Bonn policy department. Within this campaign, high resolution aerial imagery using the 3K aerial photo camera have been acquired. In order to improve th...

EU CARPATHEX exercise on CBRN threats held in the Podkarpackie Region, Poland
14. September 2011

EU CARPATHEX exercise on CBRN threats held in the Podkarpackie Region, Poland

EU CARPATHEX is a full scale exercise, which aims at improving the response of European Civil Protection Mechanisms to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. For that purpose, major emergency situations were simulated in the province Podkarpackie of Poland. In support of this...

Floods in Pakistan
12. September 2011

Floods in Pakistan

After heavy monsoon rains in August and September 2011, the province Sindh in the south of Pakistan was hit by severe floods. More than 300 people have been killed and around 8 million acres of agricultural land have been affected. 1.8 million people have been made homeless, 7.5 million were affecte...

Famine in East Africa
28. July 2011

Famine in East Africa

East Africa was hit by the worst famine in more than 60 years, affecting about 3.7 Million people in Somalia alone. Due to the instable political situation in the country, the distribution of relief goods was immensely hampered. As a result thousands of people were fleeing from famine and violence t...

Explosion on naval base in Cyprus
19. July 2011

Explosion on naval base in Cyprus

On July 11, 2011, heavy explosions on the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base near Mari, southern Cyprus, killed 12 people, injured 64 and severely damaged the adjacent Vasilikos Power Station. Wildfires have led to the denotation of a confiscated munition storage. The power station which provided about 5...

Volcanic eruption in Chile
08. June 2011

Volcanic eruption in Chile

On June 4, 2011 the Puyehue Cordón-Caulle vulcano area in Chile has entered in an eruptive process, with explosions resulting in a 10 km high plume of ash. This has been reported by Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN), Observatorio Volcanológico de los Andes del Sur (OVDAS). Due to...

Dune fires in the Netherlands
04. May 2011

Dune fires in the Netherlands

On May 01, 2011, a major heath fire was reported in the coastal region near Schoorl, North Holland, Netherlands. The fires spread quickly and 160 fire officers and several helicopters were involved in tackling the blaze. On May 04, the fire was reported to be under control.On May 02, 2011 the GMES S...

Forest fires in Bulgaria
11. April 2011

Forest fires in Bulgaria

Forest fires were reported on April 09, 2011, in south-western Bulgaria near the villages of Gostun and Osenovo. The fires destroyed more than 200 hectares of pine forests and have not been brought under control within the following two days. Mountainous parts and inaccessible terrain hampered fire...

Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
11. March 2011

Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

An earthquake of magnitude 8.8 hit north-east Japan followed by a series of powerful aftershocks and Tsunamis. The epicentre of the earthquake was located 400 km away from the capital Tokyo at a depth of 32 km. The earthquake occurred at 14:46 local time (05:46 GMT) on March 11. The areas most affec...

Civil unrest in Libya
24. February 2011

Civil unrest in Libya

The Libyan civil unrest began on 15 February 2011 as a series of protests and confrontations against the Government and its leader Muammad al-Gaddafi and has since become a widespread uprising which is continuing to present. Protests have centred on Libya's two largest cities, the capital of Tripoli...

Oil spill in Norway
19. February 2011

Oil spill in Norway

On February 17, 2011, the Icelandic vessel Godafoss stranded near the southern Norwegian coast, about 100 km south of Oslo. Two oil tanks of the vessel were breached and an oil spill threatened the Ytre Hvaler Marine National Park. ZKI provides disaster extent maps in the framework of GMES Emergency...

Floods in Germany
10. January 2011

Floods in Germany

The combination of snow and ice melting as well as heavy rainfall caused floods along many rivers in Germany, among them the Rivers Oder, Saale and Weiße Elster in eastern Germany, and the Rivers Rhine and Mosel in western Germany. After first flood waves in early January and afterwards decreasing w...

Floods in Albania
07. December 2010

Floods in Albania

Three weeks of heavy rainfall and recent snow melt caused flooding in the northwestern regions of Albania in December 2010. More than 12,000 people have been moved from their homes. The situation around the town of Shkoder is described as critical, with 2500 homes and 14,000 hectares of agricultural...

Floods in Croatia
02. December 2010

Floods in Croatia

Increased water inflow from storage lakes, snow melt and strong precipitation caused floods in various parts of Croatia in the beginning of December, 2010. Numerous roads and towns have been inundated. Among the most affected areas are the surroundings of Metkovi? and the county of Lika-Senj. ZKI pr...

Hurricane Tomas in Haiti, November 2010
07. November 2010

Hurricane Tomas in Haiti, November 2010

On November 5, 2010 Winds of up to 80 mph ripped through parts of Haiti as the tropical storm Tomas grew into a Category 1 hurricane. One of the hardest hit area was Leogane, where flooding forced families to flee. In the capital, Port-au-Prince, Tomas turned streets into canals of flowing garbage...

Tsunami in Indonesia, October 2010
29. October 2010

Tsunami in Indonesia, October 2010

On October 25, 2010 a tsunami triggered by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, killed more than 300 people. Numerous houses were destroyed by the tsunami flood waves. The earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck 20km (13 miles) below the sea floor close to the Mentawai islands. ZKI p...

Mudflood in Hungary, October 2010
11. October 2010

Mudflood in Hungary, October 2010

On October 04, 2010, a reservoir dam holding waste of an aluminium plant broke near the village Kolontár in the Veszprém district of Hungary. The emergent mud flood mixed with flood water from a stream and swept through the villages Kolontár, Devecser and Somlóvásárhely and the surrounding country...

Floods on the river Schwarze Elster (Germany) 2010
06. October 2010

Floods on the river Schwarze Elster (Germany) 2010

On September 30, 2010, heavy rainfall caused a dam to breach on the river Schwarze Elster near the village of Meuselko in the Wittenberg district of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As a result of this fields and forests were flooded. The water threatened to destabilize other dykes in the region. ZKI provide...

Flood in Slovenia, September 2010
21. September 2010

Flood in Slovenia, September 2010

Due to heavy rainfall since September 17, 2010 large areas in Slovenia are affected by floods. The most affected areas are the capital Ljubljana and its surroundings as well as the region Posavje in the south-eastern part of Slovenia. Thousands of people have been affected or are threatened by water...

Flood in Senegal, September 2010
10. September 2010

Flood in Senegal, September 2010

Due to heavy rainfall since September 2, 2010 large areas in Senegal are affected by floods. One of the most affected areas is the capital Dakar with its suburban areas, affecting more than 30,000 households. According to information received from UN-OCHA some roads as well as critical infrastructur...

Flooding along the river Niger in August 2010
12. August 2010

Flooding along the river Niger in August 2010

Since June West and Central Africa was suffering from a severe drought. In early August (7th to 9th of August) a large low pressure system caused heavy rains resulting in floods along the Niger river. Thousands of homes were flooded, especially in the surroundings of Niamey. As the water levels are...

Floods on the River Neisse (border triangle Czech Republic-Poland-Germany)
11. August 2010

Floods on the River Neisse (border triangle Czech Republic-Poland-Germany)

Beginning of August 2010 heavy rains in Central Europe caused floods in the border triangle of Czech Republic, Poland and Germany. Although a lot of effort was put in evacuating people, several persons died due to the inundations and severe damages to households and infrastructure were reported. The...

Flood in Pakistan, July and August 2010
03. August 2010

Flood in Pakistan, July and August 2010

In July and August, 2010, after heavy monsoon rains, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, was hit by severe floods. Estimates speak of at least 1,300 people killed, 3.700 houses destroyed and 45 bridges swept away. More than a million people were directly affected by the flood. ZKI provides...

Flood in Burkina Faso
31. July 2010

Flood in Burkina Faso

In mid-July the entire Sahel of western Africa was affected by heavy rainfall. In Burkina Faso the weather changed abruptly from dry to wet with very heavy rainfall on 21st and 22nd July. This resulted in extensive flooding with severe damages and many people lost their livelihood. ZKI provides Refe...

Flooding in Bulgaria
27. July 2010

Flooding in Bulgaria

Since mid of July, heavy rainfalls have caused extensive floodings in Bulgaria. The floods affected especially the Pazardzhik district in central southern Bulgaria. The main road between Pazardhzik and Plovdiv as well as the highway between Sofia and Plovidiv have been flooded. Further roads and hou...

Flood in Romania and Moldova
29. June 2010

Flood in Romania and Moldova

End of June 2010, heavy rainfalls unleashed floods in northern and eastern Romania. Numerous people were reported dead and hundreds had to be evacuated from their homes. Several roads and hundreds of hectares of farmland were inundated, dozens of houses destroyed and several bridges damaged. Further...

Tropical Cyclone Phet - Flash flood along the Sindh Coast of Karachi
10. June 2010

Tropical Cyclone Phet - Flash flood along the Sindh Coast of Karachi

On June 6, 2010 the tropical cyclone Phet made landfall at the town of Thatta in Pakistan, 50 km South of Karachi. Strong rain intensity as a consequence of the cyclone led to collapsing mud houses and submerging roads in Karachi and surrounding areas. ZKI provides Flood Maps for the World Food Prog...

Floods on the River Oder (German-Polish Border)
28. May 2010

Floods on the River Oder (German-Polish Border)

During the middle of May, a low-pressure area over Ukraine lead to a very intense rainfall in southern Poland. Between May 16, 2010 and May 18, 2010 a rainfall amount of 300 l/m² was registered in the catchment area of the Oder (Southern Poland and Czech Republic). These heavy rainfall intensities l...

Floods in Sri Lanka on May 14, 2010
21. May 2010

Floods in Sri Lanka on May 14, 2010

Since Friday, 14 May 2010, heavy monsoon rains resulted in high water levels, flash floods and landslides in 14 districts, particularly in the south-western parts of Sri Lanka. Altogether, more than 500,000 persons are affected by the floods, including displacement of more than 17,000 people and 20...

Oil spill disaster after the loss of the oil rig 'Deepwater Horizon' in the Gulf of Mexico
28. April 2010

Oil spill disaster after the loss of the oil rig 'Deepwater Horizon' in the Gulf of Mexico

On April 21, 2010 a momentous explosion occured on the oil rig Deepwater Horizon located in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 km off the coast of Louisiana, USA. The oil rig caught fire and 11 workers were missing after the incident and are believed to be dead. On the following day the oil rig sank to the...

Exercise: Traffic flows and area occupation analysis at 'bauma' trade fair in Munich, Germany
22. April 2010

Exercise: Traffic flows and area occupation analysis at 'bauma' trade fair in Munich, Germany

On April 24, 2010, during the 'bauma 2010' trade fair, the VABENE project of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) cooperated with the Munich police department in an exercise using the 3K aerial photo camera. An analysis of the traffic flows and occupation of available parking space was part of the exer...

Earthquake in the Qinghai province in China on April 14, 2010
14. April 2010

Earthquake in the Qinghai province in China on April 14, 2010

On April 14, 2010, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit the Yushu prefecture in the Qinghai province of China, followed by several aftershocks. Many hundred people were reported dead, injured or missing. Buildings collapsed or were severly damaged. Road network and communication lines were inte...

Earthquake in Turkey on March 8, 2010
10. March 2010

Earthquake in Turkey on March 8, 2010

On March 8, 2010, an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck the eastern part of Turkey near the city of Elazig. Many aftershocks followed. Numerous residential buildings in the adjacent villages were distroyed, according to press reports 51 people were killed and hundreds became homeless. This mapping a...

Floods in Hungary on March 2010
08. March 2010

Floods in Hungary on March 2010

The Tisza is the second largest river in Hungary and the longest confluent of the Danube. Despite of last years' river training efforts, there are often floodings along the river. This happened at the end of February and beginning of March 2010, when snow melting and rainfalls resulted in rising wat...

Flooding in Madeira on February 20, 2010
23. February 2010

Flooding in Madeira on February 20, 2010

Heavy rainfall on Saturday, 20th of February caused floods and landslides on the Atlantic island of Madeira. At least 48 people were reported dead and 120 injured, while some were still missing. The higher parts of the capital Funchal were hit particularly bad where complete houses were swept away...

Earthquakes in Haiti on January 12, 2010
13. January 2010

Earthquakes in Haiti on January 12, 2010

On January 12, 2010 a severe earthquake took place at the Coast of Haiti with a magnitude of 7.0 causing major damage. The epicentre was registred about 10 km deep and 16 km southwest of the capital city Port-au-Prince. In the city a large number of buildings such as the palace, government and UN-bu...

Floods in Albania on January 2010
08. January 2010

Floods in Albania on January 2010

Heavy rainfalls and unusually warm weather have caused flooding in the northwestern region of Albania since January 4, 2010. Furthermore, the authorities were forced to open the gates of a hydropower station dam to prevent it from breaking. More than 3,500 people have already been evacuated and more...

Earthquakes in Sumatra / Indonesia on September 30 and October 1, 2009
01. October 2009

Earthquakes in Sumatra / Indonesia on September 30 and October 1, 2009

On September 30, 2009, a severe earthquake took place in the Indian Ocean with a magnitude of 7.9 and several aftershocks. The epicentre was registered about 50 km north-eastern of Padang in a depth of 85 km. Heavy shocks caused the collapse of many buildings and bridges, fires broke out and major p...

Flash floods near Istanbul, Turkey, September 11th, 2009
12. September 2009

Flash floods near Istanbul, Turkey, September 11th, 2009

Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in Istanbul and northwestern Turkey on September 8, 2009, killing at least 30 people, destroying bridges and flooding houses and streets. The map shows pre-event water extents (as detected on March 24, 2009) in the area west of Istanbul, compared to those an...

Forest fires in Greece
24. August 2009

Forest fires in Greece

Several forest fires occurred since August 21, 2009 in the prefecture Attica, north-east of Athen, Greece. The fires, fanned by strong winds, destroyed thousands of hectares of forest land, farming fields and olive groves. Many residents had to be evacuated from their homes. The maps show burnt area...

Forest fires on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain
08. August 2009

Forest fires on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain

Several forest fires occurred between July 31, 2009 and August 3, 2009 on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain. 30 houses and several vineyards were destroyed. More than 4000 residents were evacuated from the area on August 1, 2009. The map shows the burnt areas as well as the locations of active fi...

Forest fires in Sardinia, Italy
29. July 2009

Forest fires in Sardinia, Italy

From July 23, 2009, to July 25, 2009, several forest fires occurred in Sardinia, Italy, causing at least 2 deaths. Many residents had to leave their homes. The maps show the burnt areas and the spread of the fires. The burnt areas were derived by a classification of ALOS AVNIR-2 and SPOT4 data with...

Landslide in Nachterstedt, Germany, July 18th, 2009, at around 5:40 AM
22. July 2009

Landslide in Nachterstedt, Germany, July 18th, 2009, at around 5:40 AM

A landslide occurred on July 18, 2009, at around 5:40 AM in Nachterstedt in the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The resulting breakline has a length of 350 m. A two-story building, parts of an apartment building and parts of a street slid down. The former mining area was still at risk of further earth m...

Landslide in Aini Jamoat, Tajikistan
18. May 2009

Landslide in Aini Jamoat, Tajikistan

On May 14th, 2009, heavy rainfall led to a mudflow in Aini Jamoat in the Khatlon province in western Tajikistan. About 6000 people were affected by the event, 200 houses were destroyed and about 300 families had to be displaced. The disaster site is located 30 km from Kurgan Teppa city and 75 km sou...

Flooding in Maranhão and Piauí, Brazil
11. May 2009

Flooding in Maranhão and Piauí, Brazil

In April and May, 2009, heavy and long lasting rainfall led to serious flooding in the north of Brazil. Ten of the 26 states of Brazil were heavily affected by the floods. Several people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced. Most of the fatalities have occurred in Brazil's northeast. The Cent...

NATO summit in Strasbourg / France
02. April 2009

NATO summit in Strasbourg / France

On April 4, 2009, the leaders of the 26 NATO countries met in Kehl and Strasbourg. Extensive security measures were being implemented in both cities. In the course of the ARGOS project, satellite images of both cities on that day were taken to provide examples for the possibilities and limitations o...

Flooding of Kavango, Namibia and Angola
25. March 2009

Flooding of Kavango, Namibia and Angola

Heavy rains in Angola and parts of Zambia's Western Province led to flooding in Namibia's north and north-eastern parts. On March 18, 2009, emergency was declared in the concerned areas where floods have caused large-scale destruction to homes, schools, health facilities, mahangu and maize fields an...

Severe flooding in northern Namibia
01. March 2009

Severe flooding in northern Namibia

Similar to the year before, severe flooding affected northern Namibia due to heavy local rains and inflow of water from northern regions during late February and March 2009. Due to the complex drainage pattern in the region, satellite observation is an important tool to provide an overview of the la...

Demonstration of traffic monitoring from space - Example case: Australian bushfires
11. February 2009

Demonstration of traffic monitoring from space - Example case: Australian bushfires

A traffic monitoring system developed by the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) allows the monitoring of instantaneous traffic circulation also during disasters. This nearly fully automatic processor was tested by ZKI during the devastating bushfires in Au...

ZKI maps floods in Mexico
03. November 2008

ZKI maps floods in Mexico

Since October, heavy rain caused floodings in several states of Mexico, affecting farmland, motorways and thousands of homes. The towns of Tenosique, Balancan, Emiliano Zapata and Jonuta, which are located along the River Usumacinta, have been particularly affected by the flooding. Similar to the 20...

20,000 homeless after torrential rain in Yemen
31. October 2008

20,000 homeless after torrential rain in Yemen

In late October 2008 the third tropical cyclone of the season caused heavy rains and flash floods in Yemen. The floods have killed about 100 persons and left approximately 20 000 people homeless. The most affected region suffering from severe damages to infrastructure, houses and farm land is the Sa...

Refugee Camp Mapping in Sudan
30. October 2008

Refugee Camp Mapping in Sudan

Because of many regional conflicts over the last 20 years, eastern Sudan hosts large populations of refugees in the arid states of Kassala, Gedaref, Gezira and Sennar. ZKI produced several large scale maps of Refugee Camps in this area on request of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)...

Atlantic tropical cyclones: ZKI maps flooding in Haiti
12. September 2008

Atlantic tropical cyclones: ZKI maps flooding in Haiti

Between mid of August and September 8, 2008, the hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hannah and Ike hit Haiti, leaving behind a path of destruction. More than 500 people died and many more are still missing. Strong rain intensity as a consequence of the hurricanes led to large inundations in the poorest country...

Embankment breach: ZKI maps flooding in India/Nepal
30. August 2008

Embankment breach: ZKI maps flooding in India/Nepal

On August 18, 2008, the Koshi River breached an embankment, causing flooding in the Sunsari district as well as further South in the Supaul district of Bihar, which is situated 7 kilometres downstream in India. It also inundated the districts of Madhepura, Araria, Purnea and Saharsa. After the breac...

Earthquake in China
20. June 2008

Earthquake in China

On May 12, 2008, the strongest earthquake in China since 1976 occurred 90 km northwest of Chengdu in the Province of Sichuan. Measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, the earthquake was followed by a series of severe after-shocks that struck the whole region. Over 69,000 people died, 374,141 people were...

Tropical Cyclone Nargis: ZKI maps flooding in Myanmar
08. May 2008

Tropical Cyclone Nargis: ZKI maps flooding in Myanmar

On May 2, 2008, tropical cyclone 'Nargis' swept over Myanmar and left behind a path of destruction. Wind speeds of more than 200 km/h and a storm surge of up to 3 meters in height destroyed more than 90 percent of housing and large parts of infrastructure in some regions. It is believed that more th...

Floods in Namibia
17. March 2008

Floods in Namibia

In January and February, 2008, heavy and long lasting rainfall led to partially serious flooding in northern Namibia and southern Angola. Many rivers and wadis were deeply inundated with water, which has caused serious damages to infrastructure and housing and forced thousands of people to leave the...

Oil spill in Antarctica from sunken ship MV Explorer
20. December 2007

Oil spill in Antarctica from sunken ship MV Explorer

On November 23, 2007, the MV Explorer, an adventure travel ship, hit an iceberg whilst passing through pack ice in the Bransfield Strait about 50 nautical miles south of King George Island, Antarctica, forcing its 154 passengers and crew into lifeboats in the middle of the night. When the MV Explore...

Oil spill at the Kerch Strait between Ukraine and Russia
21. November 2007

Oil spill at the Kerch Strait between Ukraine and Russia

A storm on Sunday, November 11, 2007, broke a small Russian oil tanker in half, the Volgoneft-139, spilling at least 1,300 tonnes of fuel oil in the Kerch strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The same storm sank at least four freighters, three carrying sulphur and one with a cargo of sc...

ZKI produces maps of affected regions after tropical cyclone 'Sidr' in Bangladesh
21. November 2007

ZKI produces maps of affected regions after tropical cyclone 'Sidr' in Bangladesh

During the night from November 15 and 16, 2007, tropical cyclone 'Sidr' swept over the the southwestern part of Bangladesh, leaving behind a trail of destruction. With wind speeds of up to 240 km/h at the coast and up to 160 km/h at the capital Dhaka, Sidr forced three million people to flee from th...

ZKI maps flooding in Mexico with high-resolution radar satellite TerraSAR-X
07. November 2007

ZKI maps flooding in Mexico with high-resolution radar satellite TerraSAR-X

In early November 2007, heavy rainfalls lasting for a whole week led to devastating floods in the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas, displacing about one million people, which is approximately half of Tabasco's overall population. About 80% of the state of Tabasco's surface (overall area: 25,000...

Forest fires in southern Europe, August 2007
27. August 2007

Forest fires in southern Europe, August 2007

In 2007, southeastern Europe was affected by the worst wildfires for decades. Conditioned by extrem heat since middle of August 2007, large natural or man-made fires started. After the end of August, Greece was the most affected country. The fires killed at least 60 people. It was expected that the...

Fires on the Canary Islands, August 2007
09. August 2007

Fires on the Canary Islands, August 2007

The islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria of the Canary Islands (Spain) were affected by some of the worst forest fires in the history of Spain. The fires forced more than 10.000 people to temporarily leave their homes, some of which were destroyed by the fires. The Spanish Government and the Monitor...

Flood in the United Kingdom, July 2007
26. July 2007

Flood in the United Kingdom, July 2007

Following the severe flooding that had affected the central and northern parts of England in the end of June and the beginning of July 2007, the south-west of England and Wales had been hit by severe weather again, with flooding affecting thousands of homes and leaving many without water and electri...

Flood in England and Wales, England July 2007
06. July 2007

Flood in England and Wales, England July 2007

Heavy rainstorms caused by an extraordinary weather situation led to major floodings in parts of the UK. During June 2007, a large low-pressure area coming from the Atlantic Ocean was trapped over Wales and England. The highest precipitation rates measured over the last decade were recorded at a num...

DLR maps for G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, June 6 to 8, 2007
11. June 2007

DLR maps for G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, June 6 to 8, 2007

From June 6 to 8, the G8 leaders met for their annual summit in Heiligendamm, Germany. The area of Heiligendamm was spaciously protected for security reasons and the inner security zone was confined by a fence. Many governmental and non-governmental organisations were involved in the logistical orga...

Earthquake in West Sumatra, Indonesia 2007
06. March 2007

Earthquake in West Sumatra, Indonesia 2007

Two earthquakes occurred on March 6, 2007, at 10:49 am and 12:49 am local time, magnitude 6.2 and 6.3 (GEOFON) respectively, in the West Sumatra province of Indonesia and led to heavy destructions. The epicentre was located 16 km southwest of Batusangkar District and 55 km northeast of the regional...

Floods in Mozambique: ZKI supports UN World Food Programme
12. February 2007

Floods in Mozambique: ZKI supports UN World Food Programme

After the end of January 2007, heavy seasonal rains in south-eastern Africa caused severe flooding, especially along the Zambezi River (Mozambique). The National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) declared Red Alert on February 4, 2007, for the whole Zambezi River basin and expected the situat...

Environmental assessment of 'Buruli ulcer' reservoir in Ivory Coast
05. September 2006

Environmental assessment of 'Buruli ulcer' reservoir in Ivory Coast

Buruli ulcer, also known as tropical ulcer, is an emerging necrotic skin disease, caused by the Mycobacterium ulcerans. Since 1986, the disease has become epidemic with 6.000 cases per year in Ivory Coast. This environmental mycobacterium has been recovered from water and soil in swampy areas. Howev...

Oil spill at the Lebanese coast
01. August 2006

Oil spill at the Lebanese coast

In the course of the conflict in the Middle East, the oil-fuelled power plant of Jieh, located directly on the coastline approximately 30 km south of Beirut, was hit by bombs on July 13 and 15, 2006. Part of the storage tanks caught fire and were burning for several days. A large part of the fuel wa...

Earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
30. May 2006

Earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

After the Tsunami of December, 2004, Indonesia was hit by another severe natural disaster. In the morning of Mai 27, 2006, an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 (USGS) led to heavy destructions in the region of Yogyakarta on the Indonesian island of Java. More than 5,000 bodies were found and 20,000 injuri...

Danube flood in Romania
19. April 2006

Danube flood in Romania

In Romania, snowmelt and long lasting rainfalls led to a dramatic increase of water levels at the Danube River to values which were never measured before. More than 4,700 people had to be evacuated from the flooded regions, 3,000 of them in the village Rast in the southwest of the country alone. Aft...

Flooding in Hungary
18. April 2006

Flooding in Hungary

Snowmelt in combination with heavy rainfalls led to an aggravation of the flooding situation in Southeast Europe. In Hungary, the most critical situation shifted from the Danube river, where the water level had reached the highest levels for more than 100 years, to the Tisza river (April 18, 2006)...

Flooding of the river Elbe in Germany
03. April 2006

Flooding of the river Elbe in Germany

After the devastating flooding in August 2002, the Elbe region in Saxony was affected by a flood once again. Strong rainfalls in conjunction with snowmelt in the Krkonose Mountains (Czech Republic) led to a rise of the Elbe River to a level of 7.45 meters. In the city of Dresden, some areas next to...

Landslide in the Philippines
17. February 2006

Landslide in the Philippines

On February 17, 2006, a landslide triggered by heavy rains buried the village of Guinsaungon, Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte Island (Philippines). Most of the approximately 300 houses and the elementary school were fully covered by the mudslide.The village had 1411 inhabitants and in the elementary s...

Earthquake in Pakistan
09. October 2005

Earthquake in Pakistan

A series of severe earthquakes (max. magnitude 7.6) struck the Kashmir region on October 8, 2005. The epicenter was located on the India-Pakistan border, about 100 kilometres northeast of Islamabad. DLR-ZKI, in cooperation with its partners from the International Charter - Space and Major Disasters,...

Floods in Bavaria
31. August 2005

Floods in Bavaria

At the end of August 2005, heavy and long-lasting rainfalls of up to 120 litres per square meter led to a disastrous high water situation in large parts of the Alps. In Bavaria, the catchment areas of the rivers Iller, Lech, Isar, and Inn were affected most. Severe obstructions of traffic occured du...

ZKI monitors fire hot-spots in Portugal
23. August 2005

ZKI monitors fire hot-spots in Portugal

After one of the most severe droughts over the Iberian Peninsula, many wildfires were raging out of control across central and northern Portugal. By August 22, 2005, 27 fires were active in the region and have left at least 15 dead and 140,000 hectares destroyed. The worst-hit areas included the cen...

Flooding in Romania: ZKI maps disaster area
07. June 2005

Flooding in Romania: ZKI maps disaster area

Heavy rain in April and May 2005 caused the worst floods since 50 years in Romania, affecting thousands of people and destroying hundreds of houses. The Romanian government responded on 19 May by launching an appeal for European civil protection assistance, triggering a rapid response from the Monit...

Satellite maps supporting United Nations World Food Programme and UNICEF in relief activities in Ethiopia
11. May 2005

Satellite maps supporting United Nations World Food Programme and UNICEF in relief activities in Ethiopia

Exceptionally heavy rainfalls led to severe floodings in the southeast of Ethiopia. According to reports of the United Nations, more than 100 people lost their lives and some 100.000 were displaced. Wide areas of agricultural land were devastated and about 50.000 cattle were killed by the extensive...

ZKI supports WHO in the fight against the Marburg Virus in Angola through RESPOND
29. April 2005

ZKI supports WHO in the fight against the Marburg Virus in Angola through RESPOND

The outbreak of the Marburg virus has claimed the lives of at least 210 people in Angola, most of them children under the age of five. It is a deadly hemorrhagic fever and a relative of the Ebola virus. The majority of the 231 cases has been registered in the northern province of Uige. The outbreak...

Satellite image mapping in support of European Disaster Exercise EURATECH in Portes-lès-Valence/South-France
11. April 2005

Satellite image mapping in support of European Disaster Exercise EURATECH in Portes-lès-Valence/South-France

A major European civil protection exercise takes place from 10 to 14 April 2005 in Portes-lès-Valence/Department Drôme in southern France. The scenario is a hazardous material transportation accident in a full scale community exercise. It is organized by the French Défense et de la Sécurité Civiles...

ZKI supports international humanitarian relief teams in Indonesia through RESPOND
30. March 2005

ZKI supports international humanitarian relief teams in Indonesia through RESPOND

A great earthquake occurred near the West coast of Sumatra (Indonesia) about 205 km west northwest of Sibolga, Sumatra at 23:09 local time in Indonesia (16.09 UTC) on March 28, 2005. According to the USGS the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.7 (Richter scale). Fortunately, no major tsunami resulted f...

ZKI satellite mapping supports international humanitarian relief teams in Southeast Asia
27. December 2004

ZKI satellite mapping supports international humanitarian relief teams in Southeast Asia

In the early morning of Dec. 26th a severe earthquake (30 km below sea level, magnitude 9) caused Tsunami flood waves in the Indian Ocean, which struck the coastal regions of Sumatra, Thailand, Sri Lanka and southern India. Due to the immense extent of the affected coastal areas, images from earth o...

ZKI in cooperation with UNHCR performed a refugee camp monitoring for Chad
07. December 2004

ZKI in cooperation with UNHCR performed a refugee camp monitoring for Chad

Due to Civil War, thousands of people escape the Darfur region in Sudan and seek shelter in the state of Chad, where many refugee camps have been established. Not all of them are permanently supervised by international organizations. UNHCR, the High Commissioner for Refugees asked for a subsequent s...

Base and crisis mapping of Al Fashir and Al Junaynah region in Darfur/Sudan
31. August 2004

Base and crisis mapping of Al Fashir and Al Junaynah region in Darfur/Sudan

Because of the continuing refugee situation and the onset of the rainy season in western Sudan, the humanitarian aid organizations working there are in urgent need of up-to-date, detailed maps. In consultation with UN-OCHA, Germany's disaster relief organization (THW) and the German Red Cross (DRK),...

Base mapping of Dhaka region/Bangladesh
08. August 2004

Base mapping of Dhaka region/Bangladesh

A base mapping activity was performed on request of the Governmental Disaster Relief Organization (THW) of the Federal Republic of Germany for the area around Dhaka, Bangladesh. This activity was pursued on the background of a commonly planned humanitarian aid campaign of the THW and the United Nati...

Mapping of forest fires in southern Portugal (Algarve region)
28. July 2004

Mapping of forest fires in southern Portugal (Algarve region)

The major forest fires in Spain and Portugal in July 2004 were recorded and analyzed at DFD's Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information (ZKI), which produced a detailed satellite map of the affected area in the Monchique region based on Ikonos data. In addition MODIS imagery was analyzed to obta...

Earthquake hit northern Iran on May 28, 2004 - first pre-disaster satellite map is available
30. May 2004

Earthquake hit northern Iran on May 28, 2004 - first pre-disaster satellite map is available

The central Mazandaran province, 65 km northeast of Tehran was affected by a severe earthquake (magnitude 6.2) on May 28, 2004 as well as by several aftershocks during the days to follow. On request of the German Federal Foreign Office, the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters was trig...

Explosion disaster near Novobogdanovka/Ukraine
08. May 2004

Explosion disaster near Novobogdanovka/Ukraine

On May 6, 2004 a military arms dump close to the village of Novobogdanovka in southern Ukraine exploded. According to press statements 10.000 people in the surrounding villages had to be evacuated and a major highway and railway line connecting the cities of Melitopol and Zaporizhzhya had to be bloc...

Satellite image analysis after the earthquake in Morocco
27. February 2004

Satellite image analysis after the earthquake in Morocco

After the earthquake southwest of Al Hoceima on Februar 24, 2004 IKONOS imagery was analysed in order to identify the damage assessment. An acquisition on February 25 was not possible due to the local weather situation. The company European Space Imaging provided an IKONOS image on February 27 which...

Emergency mapping of the damages resulting from the earthquake in Bam, Kerman Provinz/Iran
27. December 2003

Emergency mapping of the damages resulting from the earthquake in Bam, Kerman Provinz/Iran

Supporting the international relief activities undertaken by various humanitarian organisations in the area around the city of Bam (Iran) and supporting the activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, the Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information in cooperation with the...

Supporting relief organisations in flooded areas of the Rhone valley, southern France
06. December 2003

Supporting relief organisations in flooded areas of the Rhone valley, southern France

The German governmental disaster relief organization (THW) in Arles was equipped with satellite maps derived from high resolution IKONOS satellite images analyzed by ZKI. On December 4, 2003, the french civil protection agency triggered the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, which s...

Devastating forest fires in central and southern Portugal
07. August 2003

Devastating forest fires in central and southern Portugal

Earth observation satellites make rapid mapping of large regions of the earth's surface possible and can be a valuable help for the disaster management. Data can be used from both passive instruments, which collect information in the visible and infrared spectral range, and from radar instruments, w...